


Date Nights

by CatherineParker



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti-Kane, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Humor, I'm a slut for tropes, Romantic Fluff, Tropes, doctor mechanic, no specific timeframe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-20 13:12:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14895239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatherineParker/pseuds/CatherineParker
Summary: Marcus wants to date Abby, she rather didn’t. Raven jumps in to help and she and Abby get more then they’ve ever bargained for.





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

“Hey, Abby!”

 

Abby has been in medical all day, many patients floating in and out during the majority of her shift and only now she finally finds the time to sit down and update some of the many patients files. Marcus walks towards her and eventually comes to stand next to her overflowing desk, wringing his hands.

 

“Marcus.” Abby greets him, already having a pretty good idea why he is here. A sinking feeling nestles in her stomach. “Are you okay?” She asks though, maybe he really isn't feeling well or there is other business he needs to talk to her about. Although they had talked about the medical supplies like three days ago already.

 

“Actually, I am not.” He admits, meeting her eyes over the stacks of papers. And Abby feels instantly chastised for assuming the worst... but then Marcus grins. The plummeting feeling in her stomach intensifies.

 

“But! I would feel _way better_ if you’d agree to join me for dinner tonight?!”

 

Abby waits a hesitant moment to respond. "Uh, well..” She really doesn't feel it and why must he be so persistent about this? Especially since today is like the fifth or so time over the last couple of weeks that he has asked her out. And not once she had said yes to any of those invitations. Somehow, she had just hoped he would get the hint eventually, but obviously he does not. Furthermore, she can't really see herself date a guy who, once upon a time, wanted to float her into the vacuum of space, then had her whipped in front of the entire population of Arkadia. _What kind of message would she be sending to younger women - and especially to Clarke?_

 

"I am sorry, Marcus, but I am really not up for it tonight.” She tries for a not too encouraging smile. They have been on better terms lately and she is not a monster, so she doesn't want to hurt him on purpose. And maybe he genuinely thinks he cares for her. “I am extremely beat, I think I will turn in right after my shift.”

 

 _Great... another evening without a meal. She_ should put an end to this right now--it would be the adult thing to do.

 

_Maybe Clarke could bring her some dinner to her room later?_

 

“Then hopefully another time!” Marcus says--disrupting her train of thought. But before she can tell him, there is no date in their future until hell freezes over—he is already gone, stopping only shortly to wave at her before disappearing through the plastic sheets.

 

Abby sighs deeply, grinding her teeth.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Still hiding out from Kane?” Clarke asks with a smirk on her lips as Abby opens the door of her quarters later that night.

 

“I have no idea what you are talking about!” Abby says as she sits on the couch, but nods with a grimace in affirmation.

 

“You should talk to him.” Clarke tells her, as she steps inside, putting the tray with a plate and still steaming food down onto a table and squeezing herself into the seat next to Abby.

 

“I _did_ tell him!” Abby vows, but she sounds desperate even to her own ears. "Five times!"

 

Clarke only raises a skeptical brow.

 

“Seriously, honey, I did." Abby buries her face into her hands. "He just doesn't seem to be receptive of the subtle approach."

 

“Should I talk to him?” Clarke asks and her smile becomes devious. “I could be... _less subtle.”_

 

Abby groans, picking up the fork from the tray and spears some vegetables onto it. “No, please, don't. You should stay away from this. I think it would be better." Despite her current predicament, she returns her daughter's amused smile. "I'll handle it myself." Abby vows. "At least at some point.”

 

“If you say so...” Clarke sing-songs and leans in to kiss her cheek before standing up. “But let me know, if you change your mind. I have to go back to O, she is waiting in the mess.”

 

“I will.” Abby says, taking a bite of her dinner and watches as the doors slide open. Clarke steps outside. “Goodnight, Mom!”

 

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” Abby says, smiling, as she watches Clarke walk down the corridor until the doors eventually close behind her.

 

She really needs to tell Marcus off once and for all. Those sad evening dinners have been going on for far too long now.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Two weeks later without another invitation Abby thinks he might be over it after all.

 

Even after rigorous probing, Clarke swears she hasn't said a word to him.

 

Abby wants to believe it.

 

But if Clarke did speak to Marcus, Abby decides, she would be still grateful for it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Thank you for helping me out with this, Raven.”

 

The young mechanic screws the outer case of a formerly broken heart monitor back on. She looks up at Abby shortly, before focusing her gaze back onto the tiny screws. “No problem at all, Doc. That's what I am here for. Repairing stuff.”

 

Abby hands her one of the tiny screws. “It was just a loose wire, so no real work done on my part to be honest." She grins up at Abby, reaching for the connecting element, but as their fingers touch, Abby's skin tingles like with an electric current coursing through them.

 

Raven holds her gaze for moment longer, as if she can feel it too, and for no apparent reason Abby can't make herself look away.

 

“Abby! I am glad that I still caught you here.” It is Marcus voice that floats over and eventually breaks their connection. Abby turns and faces him. The tips of her fingers still tingle and she brushes her hands over her blue lab coat.

 

“What's up?”

 

“Come to dinner with me tonight?” He asks and his stupid smile grates on her nerves.

 

“I am pretty busy here, Marcus, to be honest.” She waves a hand around.

 

“Yeah okay, but you're not going to be busy all night, right? So six o'clock in the mess?!” And he is already leaving, as if her answer doesn't even matter and Abby curses under her breath. Even Raven lets out a quiet, displeased snort beside her. _That is the last straw,_ Abby thinks and tries to formulate a sentence in her mind that doesn't begin with, _'who do you think you are?'_

 

“We already have plans for the evening, Kane!” Raven calls over to him instead, smirking, and a few of the other patients turn to look at them. Abby glances around and meets several gazes. She gives a strained smile in return and exhales a deep breath. To Raven she whispers a quiet _thank you_ and the smirk on Raven's lips grows even wider.

 

Marcus steps back to them, irritated. He must have thought this particular attempt would finally make the difference.

 

“Really?” He sounds rather displeased at the idea that Abby has made plans already. Without him!

 

“Yes, indeed.” Abby agrees, and the relief she feels that Raven has jumped in to her rescue washes over her in waves. The gesture really makes her night. She feels grateful and happy all at once and then she is already speaking, before she really has the chance to think on her choice of words. "We always have a date on Tuesday nights.”

 

What she truly _meant_ to say was, that Raven and she _meet up_ on Tuesday's. But the phrase just slipped out and Abby smiles through her discomfort. But there is no reason why anyone would jump to the wrong conclusions right away...

 

“So, you and Raven are dating?” Marcus chuckles and it sounds condescending to such an extent, that Abby can't find it in her to come clean to him here and now, not when she is just sick and kind of angry about all of this for quite a while. And how did that saying go, go big or go home? She decides to go big.

 

"Well, yes, actually we are." Abby admits, throat suddenly dry. If she is not mistaken she hears a gasp or two from the people around them. From across the room a loud crash, and then clatter, catches her attention and as Abby looks over, she can just make out Jackson stumbling on his feet, who obviously just ran straight into a gurney. _There is no way back now,_ she thinks, closing her eyes for a moment then turns back to look at Marcus. "It is rather bold to say--this early on--but it might be _real love_. Never had I thought to find something so special again after Jake..”

 

Marcus looks more and more flabbergasted. "You are kidding me." It really does not sound like a question at all.

 

"Why would I?" Abby implores as sincerely as she can muster. Her eyes flicker back to Jackson who is now staring at her with wide eyes. She tries to ignore him.

 

Marcus seems to have no retort anymore, deeply overwhelmed.

 

Beside her, Raven clears her throat. And for the first time since all of this started she _really thinks about Raven_. About what she just implied about their relationship and how the young mechanic might be feeling about it.

 

_Oh god.  
_

 

She puts an arm around Raven's shoulder and is a little surprised, and also very glad, when Raven doesn't shrug it off right away.

 

_Somehow, she will make up for this. No clue how on Earth she possibly can make up for it, but she will find a way. Even if it kills her.  
_

Abby chances a discreet glance at Raven, to gauge her expression, but the younger woman just looks straight at Marcus, frozen in place.

 

There is a moment where nobody says anything and the silence stretches on and on and one could hear a pin drop. Even the hushed whispers of the other patients have died down. _A black hole in the ground to swallow her whole wouldn't be the worst thing right now,_ Abby muses.

 

Marcus eyes still move frantically between her and Raven--back and forth--like he is trying to catch the first one to laugh and tell him it was all nothing but a joke. But neither Abby nor Raven crack under his gaze and do him the favor.

 

_This is bad. But she can't go back on it now. But how can she put Raven in a position like that with a clear conscience?_

 

In a desperate attempt to steel her resolve, she just squeezes Raven tighter against herself.

 

“I didn't know about that…” Marcus says slowly at last, brushing with his fingers over his beard. And he _seems_ to buy it but Abby knows better than to trust her instincts with Marcus Kane by now.

 

“You are not the only one." Raven says in a serious tone, one Abby hasn't heard before and she winces. All of it will come crashing down around her and it is going to happen right here and now. She mentally girds herself for what is to come. For Raven to tell the truth and for her little ruse to blow up in her face. Like a rocket, her heartbeat accelerates into a staggering, throbbing beat in mere seconds.

 

At Marcus interested gaze, Raven clarifies and Abby waits for her answer with baited breath. "We have been keeping it under wraps. You know how it is with newly found lovers - not spending much time out in the _open and all…"_ Raven quirks her brows suggestively.

 

Marcus looks like is going to be sick any minute now and Abby's cheeks flare with heat at the pictures her mind conjures at Raven's rather unambiguous innuendo. Raven smiles in a way that makes Abby fairly certain it is exactly the reaction she was going for.

 

“I will be going then.” Kane says, like he is stuck. Without another word, he then turns and retreats rather quickly. They both watch him go until he has vanished from their sight.

 

For a long moment Abby just stands there, rooted to the spot. Her arm still slung over Raven's shoulder, the warmth of her arm seeping into Abby's hand. A million thoughts run through her mind and she doesn't want to face the younger woman, but she has to. Even if she knows she can't explain her behavior rationally. And she has to be frank here, she really can't do that or Raven will declare her mentally insane.

 

But then, Raven beats her to it. "May I speak to you for a minute in private, _Sweetheart?"_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Any Feedback is - as always - very much appreciated!)


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

Raven ushers Abby into a small examination room and jerks the door closed behind them rather forcefully. For a long moment she keeps her back turned and Abby already fears for the worst. Through the door-window she can still make out a lot of people watching their every move until Raven closes the blinds as well.

 

The young mechanic finally turns. "Uhm... what did just happen?"

 

"Oh god, Raven, I am so, so unbelievably sorry." The reality of what she did really comes crashing down on her, all the repercussions it will have on both of their lives. "I am so sorry, Raven." Abby repeats, wringing a hand through her hair. "I don't know what came over me."

 

"Tell me _why_ this happened?" Raven asks, leaning back against the door.

 

For a while Abby just breathes, then slowly begins to tell the story about Marcus, how he had asked her out on a date ever so often and how she refused, but didn't exactly tell him straightforward why she wouldn't go out with him. How this all had gone on for a couple of weeks and how desperate she was for all of this to be finally over--without hurting him.

 

"Again, Raven, there is no excuse for putting you in a position like that." Abby covers her face with her hands for a mere moment, then looks back up at her. "I will make it up to you. I promise."

 

"So..." Raven glances around the examination room for a moment, before her gaze settles back on the doctor. "Please, correct me if I get this wrong..." Raven gestures at Abby. "You willingly told Kane you were dating someone else, instead of telling him you don't want to go out with him?!" Raven looks at her skeptically. "That sounds rather implausible to me."

 

Abby swallows thickly, starting to dread the direction in which their conversation is heading. She should never have done this. Raven seems mad and it was never her intention to hurt her feelings. Never wanted to risk their relationship--nothing in the world would be worth it. She reaches for a box of tissues on the sideboard and pulls one out, blowing her nose quietly.

 

"Come on, Abby, tell me the truth." Raven urges, one eyebrow lifting as she regards her.

 

"I really don't know what..."

 

"You do." Raven interrupts, giving her an imploring look as she takes a deliberate step forward. "I think I know what this is all about, but you..." She points with a finger at Abby. "You just can't admit it."

 

Abby narrows her eyes, trying to catch on to Raven's meaning.

 

"I promise you, Raven, I have absolutely no idea what you mean." She says carefully, an overwhelming feeling of alarm rising within her. All of this has been a terrible mistake. She is not prepared to loose Raven over this. "I am truly sorry."

 

"Just tell me." Raven insists, her lips pressed together.

 

"What?!" Abby snaps and feels awful for doing so right after. For bringing Raven into a position where she must feel highly uncomfortable in the first place.

 

"Oh Abby..." Raven leans back against the door. "You wanted a piece of this." She gestures at herself. "You could have just told me."

 

Abby startles. " _I..._ _I didn't…”_

 

A smirk crawls up Raven’s lips. Abby narrows her eyes.

 

"You!" She throws the box of tissues at her, while Raven cackles, catching the paper box midair wwithout much effort. Despite her best efforts, Abby fails to conceal the smile rising to her lips. "I hate you!" She vows, but Raven just laughs louder.

 

 _"You love me."_ Raven quips, and Abby is not prepared for what those words evoke within her. She knows how Raven means it, but it still affects her _\--somehow_. Maybe it is because Raven has flirted with her in the past, light and unobtrusive, that she never put much thought into it.. _Well, maybe never is too strong of a word._ Now and then she has thought about it, but it wasn't something real or tangible--just something inappropriate that crossed her mind now and then. Raven is smart and highly attractive, Abby can admit to that but she is way too young. Not to mention the fact that she never had any interest in women before.

 

"Your face was priceless though.." Raven still chuckles and Abby fights the urge to throw something else at her. Even if she is grateful for the distraction from her wandering thoughts.

 

"You are a horrible person! I really thought you were mad at me." Abby says, relieved, wondering about the sudden wetness in her eyes and blinks it away.

 

"I know, but I couldn't resist." Raven looks sheepishly at her. "But what do we do now?"

 

With the question out in the open, their current situation comes rushing back into focus and it becomes clear to Abby what the next step must be. "I'll go to Marcus and tell him the truth, clear all of it up around here." She gestures to the patient area. It is the best course of action. That's what she should have done from the beginning."It hasn't been fair of me to put you in a position like this."

 

Raven snorts. "To be honest, Abby, I couldn't care less. You are hot. I could do a lot worse." She winks at Abby in that way that has a wave of heat course through her. If she didn't know better, Abby thinks, Raven looks as if she knows how it affects her. "But if that is what you want to do, go ahead and do it. But I for my part, wouldn't mind to keep this up for a week or two, and then we will just tell we broke up or something."

 

Abby considers Raven's suggestion for a moment. It is ludicrous of course to even consider it. But she can't say it wouldn't make sense, she would get Marcus off her back, she wouldn't need to go around and tell people she'd just made up a story. She tries to block out the part of her mind, that keeps reminding her, that Raven finds her attractive. She really can't think about that now. "You would really do that for me?"

 

"Yes." Raven smiles at her. "Yes, I would." Raven pushes back from the door and stops right before Abby. “So we meet up for dinner later?” She reaches up and her fingers touch the lapels of Abby's lab coat, straightening it. Even when she just touches the fabric and avoids the skin on her neck, it sends her heartbeat soaring in no time. As Raven meets her eyes once more, she adds, “Today is our date night after all, right?.”

 

“It is.” Abby agrees, releasing a stuttering breath. “My shift ends at seven pm. Let's meet at eight pm in the mess hall?” Abby suggests, taking a deep breath.

 

“Sounds good to me.” Raven turns and walks back to the door, grasping the handle. “See you later then, Doc.”

 

“Thanks again, Raven.” Abby calls after her, honest and in deep gratitude. Raven gives her a look. "Stop it." With that she leaves Abby alone.

 

Through the open door, Abby sees Jackson, waving her over. She looks at her watch. It shows 6:42 pm.

 

Now she just needs to avoid everyone for the next eighteen minutes.

 

* * *

 

“Abby!”

 

Marcus stops her in the hallway, a hand to her shoulder.

 

“Marcus. What can I do for you?” She asks, wary of the way he studies her.

 

“I don't know.. but I am at a loss about what you told me earlier…”

 

“I am sorry if you are upset.” Abby takes a step back to put a little more distance between them. “But I think I have already said anything on the matter.”

 

“Yeah, well, I bet you do... But really, Abby?” He looks down on her. “Raven Reyes?” He chuckles. “You can't be serious.”

 

“Why would you say that?” She asks with a hint of exasperation.

 

“I just don't see you two together.” Marcus leans closer. “What's going on here, Abby? You can tell me the truth. I know this is bullshit.”

 

Somehow it makes her angry that he corners her--like he thinks he is a person from whom she would like to receive relationship advice or could involve himself in her personal matters.

 

“There is nothing to tell and it is certainly no bullshit. To be frank, I don't really appreciate your insinuations." Abby cracks a pained smile, meeting Marcus’s gaze. "I accept that you don't like it, but I can't help you with that. And to be honest, I am already late for my date, so excuse me.”

 

Deep within, the anger and hurt burns hot, but she won't let it show on the outside. Doesn't want him to see how his words do affect her, so she doesn't wait around for his reply and leaves him standing in the otherwise deserted corridor.

 

“I know there is something wrong about it!” He calls after her, but Abby just keeps on walking.

 

* * *

 

 

“There you are.” Abby hears Raven's voice before she actually sees her. As she turns around, she allows her eyes to roam over the other woman's shapely figure. Clad in a dark blue tank top and anthracite-colored pants. Her hair is open for once and falls in soft waves over her shoulders. And wow, Abby thinks, she just looks.. _stunning_. For a moment or two she is too amazed to greet her back and just looks at her.

 

"Earth to Abby." Raven quips and Abby shakes herself out of her reverie.

 

"Raven." Abby greets, warmth flooding her all of the sudden "You look very nice tonight."

 

Raven pushes back from the table. "Only tonight?" She gives Abby a mischievous grin. "That means I have to step up my game then, if want to get laid?"

 

"No, of course not! You always look.. wait.. if you want to...." Abby stumbles over the words, her cheeks flare crimson. "I thought--we wanted to..."

 

"I am messing with you." Raven tells her, her smile morphing into a full-blown smirk. "You are just too easy sometimes."

 

Abby swats her arm, hard. "You will find I am not easy at all," she husks in return and watches as Raven's composure crumbles under her gaze and judging by slight color rising to her skin, she obviously hit the right, intimate note.

 

“Already thought you would stand me up. On our date night no less!” Raven says after a moment, her eyes darting away from hers, she still smiles, but Abby can see the unease playing over her features.

 

“I wouldn't do that. But I am very sorry for being late.” Abby apologizes, fiddling with the ring on her necklace, her gaze finding Raven's. "Unfortunately, I was intercepted on my way here." Her lips form a thin line.

 

"A rather unpleasant interception I take it?" Raven queries and Abby tries to get rid of the tension that is there since Marcus cornered her in the corridor.

 

"You could say that." Abby allows, but forces a smile on her lips. "And I will tell you all about it, but let us grab something to eat first. I am practically starving."

 

"Of course, of course--my lady." Raven feints a bow, "Would you please follow me." She holds her arm out to Abby and the doctor slips hers through Raven's with a quirk of her lips.

 

"Where are we going?" Abby asks, surprised as they leave the mess hall through the outer doors.

 

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." Raven whispers conspiratorially and for a moment Abby finds herself distracted by the twinkle in Raven's eyes.

 

Raven takes her outside into the dark of the night and escorts her to one of the of the wooden tables that is close to the bonfire, but not close enough to suffocate them in its smoke.

 

When they come closer Abby is delighted to see, that there are already two trays with their evening meals, a single flower in a vase in the middle and two small candles on each side. It is the most beautiful setting anyone has ever prepared for her. In the moonlight, she looks over to Raven who gestures for her to sit down. Her eyes well up under an onslaught of emotion and she is grateful for the cover of darkness the night provides.

 

"This is beautiful, Raven." She whispers, still taken with all the effort the younger woman has put into their fabricated date. "But you shouldn't have gone through all this trouble."

 

Raven shrugs, unable to meet the other woman’s eyes. “I wanted to,” she reveals humbly. "Now, please sit or the food will go from cold to frozen."

 

Abby chuckles lowly and sits down. For a moment they both just sit there, watching the other, and then Abby takes a spoonful of soup. _Must be mushroom,_ she thinks, and takes another. It is exceptionally good, not piping hot anymore, but she doesn't care. They rarely get hot food in the mess so she is used to it by now. Not to mention that it is still warmer than every meal she was forced to eat in her quarters. Only now the company is a lot better.

 

"Thanks again, Raven. I just wanted you to know that it really means a lot to me that you are doing this for me."

 

Raven looks up from her own bowl, her gaze fixing on her. "Didn't I tell you to stop that?"

 

"You did." Abby acknowledges and takes another spoonful of soup.

 

"What kind of encounter did you have earlier?" Raven asks, taking a sip of water. "If you want to tell me about it. You don't have to."

 

"No..., no, it's fine." Abby retorts, thinking back on her confrontation in the corridor. "I just meet Marcus and he stopped me..." She pauses for a moment, then continues. "He said, that he doesn't see us.." She gestures between Raven and herself, "... together. And that he thinks that it's.. bullshit."

 

To her surprise Raven laughs, clearly amused. "Now that doesn't surprise me. At least not after all you have told me about him."

 

"Me neither." Abby replies, and despite her slowly fading somber mood, joins into Raven's laughter.

 

"What did you tell Jackson?" Raven asks, eyes mirthful.

 

"Nothing." Abby admits. "I fled medical in a very unprofessional manner, feigning a migraine."

 

"Oh Abby," Raven looks at her appreciatively, "I didn't know you had it in you." She praises and Abby feels that familiar warmth rise to her cheeks unbidden. She can't say what it is with Raven that makes her feel overwhelmed-- _so easily_ \--but she can't say that she doesn't enjoy it either.

 

"You would be surprised." She murmurs eventually, then clears her throat, averting her gaze as she feels an unmistakable tension starting to build between them.

 

"Do you want to tell anyone?" Raven asks, wiping an errant lock of dark hair away from her face. "That this is just a ruse to get Marcus off your back, I mean."

 

Abby hadn't even thought about that yet, but it is a valid point that is necessary to clarify. "I think I should at least tell Clarke." Abby says, wondering how Clarke will react to this unusual news. "But I think she won't be fooled either way."

 

"I guess not." Raven agrees and Abby thinks, that this is the best evening she had in a long time.

 

* * *

 

After dinner and talking some more about their _blossoming relationship_ Raven insists to escort Abby back to her quarters like it is common for a proper date and Abby agrees, not quite wanting the pleasant night to end just yet.

 

They are just about there, when Raven suddenly presses her up against the wall, her body touching against Abby's and Abby's heart rate and breathing increases rapidly with the other woman's nearness.

 

Raven cups her face in her palm and slowly, deliberately runs her thumb across and down her cheek, sending a shiver down her spine to the tip of her toes. “Do you trust me?” She whispers against her lips and Abby's heart stutters in her chest.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I thought this was going to be a one-shot, then a two-part story, but now I'm just not sure how long this is going to be.. 
> 
> (As always, any Feedback is very much appreciated!)


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

"I do." Abby rasps, not entirely sure what she is agreeing to. But she trusts Raven, even if she can't think straight with the warm body pressed against her and Raven's fingers ghosting over her skin. It is all she can do to let the wall and Raven support her weight.

 

Raven gives her an imperceptible nod and leans even closer. _She is going to kiss me,_ Abby thinks and has no solution how to process it. The anticipation climbs to a dizzying high and Abby briefly wonders between violent beats of her heart if a pretend kiss is supposed to elicit such a rush of excitement.

 

Raven moves closer still, her fingers still on her cheek and Abby is sure Raven must catch her loud, pounding heartbeat. Smooth lips touch to her skin then, but only just to the corner of her mouth, and Abby's taken by relief—and disappointment—all at once.

 

Farther down the hallway, Marcus Kane stands frozen to the spot, noticing in slight horror as the doctor of his fantasies is kissed by another woman.

 

"Looks pretty intimate to me." A voice next to him startles him and he turns to see Clarke Griffin, standing beside him, arms crossed over her chest. "Wouldn't you agree?"

 

"It appears so." Marcus looks back at Abby and Raven who are still disgracing a wall of the former Ark, then back to Clarke.

 

"You don't mind this?" He queries, sounding scandalized and dismayed at the same time.

 

"Why would I?" Clarke wonders, slightly astonished. "I just want to see my mother happy. Raven seems to make her happy, so there's that." Her eyes are hard as she stares up at him. "Don't you want her to be happy?"

 

Briefly, Kane just gazes at her, looking utterly aghast, as though he hasn't heard right. But then Clarke can practically see how he rebuilds his composure piece by piece. "It goes without saying that I want that." He states and his eyes flicker to Abby and Raven once more, before he finally turns on his heel and briskly walks away in the direction that he'd come from.

 

Clarke, smiling to herself, follows him a little while later, unwilling to give her mother a heart-attack by catching her making out in a public hallway.

 

Raven's lips ghost over the skin, barely touching, but her body responds to each contact with wild fervor. A hand travels up her side, barely avoiding the swell of her breasts, shooting a red-hot spark through her veins, igniting a sudden, violent craving to claim those lips in an actual kiss. A quiet gasp slips free, before Abby can censor it, and hopes Raven might have missed it. But dark eyes flicker back to her own, curious and assessing, and Abby knows it hasn't gone unnoticed.

 

Raven's gaze drops to her lips and the fluorescent tubes in the corridor flicker and go out, and for a moment Raven's face and the corridor as a whole is shrouded in darkness. As the light comes back on a few moments later, dark eyes are fixed on her own and Abby begins to wonder, if she sees the same desire she feels reflected back at her. Before she can think better of it, her hands find their way to the small of Raven's back. Fingers slips beneath the fabric of her shirt, brushing over soft skin and Raven shudders beneath the touch. "Raven." Abby breathes out, not sure if it is a prompt or a warning, then Raven's lips are mere inches from her own and she doesn't know how long she can stand this, how long she'll be able to restrain herself.

 

Raven breaks her gaze, turning her head slightly so that the tip of her nose and her cheek slide over Abby's skin, releasing another unbridled surge of want through her. "Is he still there?" She breathes, and the words tickle against her cheek.

 

"What?" Abby whispers after a beat, confused and not able to form a coherent thought in her current predicament.

 

"Kane." Raven replies, her voice barely above a whisper. "He was striding down the corridor as I saw him."

 

"No." Abby croaks, clears her throat and only now becomes aware of the reason Raven pushed her up against the wall. She chides herself, that she didn't even stop to think about it sooner. Looking momentarily up over Raven's shoulder, she finds the corridor vast and empty. _Thank god for that,_ she thinks. "No, he is gone."

 

When Raven steps back, the absence of her body heat leaves Abby shake with a sudden chill and she stuffs her hands into the pockets of her jacket. The younger woman doesn't meet her eyes when she speaks and Abby notices a modest tint to her cheeks. "I hope that was okay? I saw Kane and thought about what you'd told me earlier and... I don't know, thought this might clear things up a bit." Raven stumbles to explain and the distress shows clearly on her features.

 

 _Oh, it certainly cleared some things up,_ Abby thinks. Even though it's probably not what Raven had in mind.

 

"Now when I think about it, it might not have been very appropriate. I should have spoken to you about it first?!"

 

"It's fine, Raven." Abby reassures right away, trying to keep her hoarse voice even. "Don't dwell on it."

 

"Yeah?" Only now Raven looks up at her, hopeful. 

 

"Yeah." Abby echos and finally pushes herself off the wall, willing her legs not to tremble. "My quarters are just down the hall, so I guess I will find my way there." She states, reaching out to squeeze Raven's arm in a comforting gesture. "Thank you for tonight. It was lovely."

 

Raven gives her a small smile. "Goodnight then."

 

"Goodnight, Raven." Abby leaves without another word, puzzled over the onslaught of emotion this evening has evoked within her.

 

She wrings a hand through her tresses and tries to keep her steps even until she is back in her quarters. Realizing, this is going to be _much harder_ than she could have ever imagined.

 

 

* * *

 

 

At sunrise Abby heads into work, earlier than usual, but she feels the need to not encounter anyone before she gets asked inappropriate questions about her new relationship.

 

When she strides through the plastic sheets of the medical bay, the clinic is still pleasantly quiet despite the few sleeping overnight patients and Abby takes a deep breath, the faint scent of antiseptic filling her nostrils. Her thoughts wander back to the evening before--like so often since she had finally fallen asleep way too late at the previous night--and a familiar warmth she has come to associate with Raven unfolds within her, the tips of her fingers tingle with the memory of skin-to-skin contact.

 

When she steps into her office, the chair opposite of her desk is already occupied and Jackson turns on the chair to face her, spotting a beaming grin.

 

Abby groans and takes a step backwards, then another. Hurriedly, she closes the door of her office again and tries to escape, without actually running, until Jackson's voice sounds out behind her.

 

"Dr. Abigail Griffin! Don't you dare walk away from me now!"

 

For an instant Abby actually considers making a run for it, but then she remembers Jackson jogging every morning and dismisses the idea as nothing but a wishful thinking. He would catch up with her without breaking a sweat and then she would not only need to explain this matter, but also talk to him about her degrading fitness level, which unfortunately leaves much to be desired these days. Jackson appears in the periphery of her vision and with a hand on her arm turns her around.

 

"Tell me everything!" He demands stoically, and Abby lets out a suffering sigh. She might better get this over with right away.

 

"I started dating again." Jackson nods, encouraging her to continue. Abby resigns herself to her fate.

 

"It is Raven Reyes. We go out for dates every Tuesday." Jackson beams and Abby wonders why she was so reluctant to tell him in the first place.

 

"Did you guys do the dirty yet?" He stage-whispers, and Abby covers her eyes with a hand. _Yeah, exactly because of those kind of questions,_ she reminds herself. _  
_

 

"Unfortunately for you, that is absolutely none of your business." She replies and slips past him and into her office, trying hard to not actually think about how it would feel to be in a situation like that with Raven.

 

"Oh Abby, come on!" Jackson follows her into the room behind her. "I always tell you my stuff. And it is the first time you even have something to tell! It is thrilling! I'll mark this day red in my calendar!"

 

"Firstly, you don't even own a calendar and secondly, I don't want to hear about your stuff, but you tell me anyway." Abby reminds him, searching frantically for a way to shut this conversation down before it can go any further. She meets his eyes. "I don't want to jinx it." She tells him, with a hint of desperation.

 

"Alright, I get that." Jackson relents and Abby lets herself sink into a desk chair with a sigh. "I am just happy you found someone you care for. Even though I didn't even know you liked women... How is that even possible?"

 

Abby considers his words, but at last feels compelled to answer more truthfully than she is actually comfortable with. "I am not sure if I like women, but I like Raven?" A flush creeps up her neck at the revelation, that has absolutely nothing to do with her current (fake) relationship.

 

"You are blushing." Jackson states matter of factly, smile tugging at his lips. "I should have picked up on this way earlier."

 

"What do you mean?" Abby queries carefully, not sure if she is ready to hear the answer.

 

"Well, you never blush." Jackson shrugs. "Not even as we had this accident where the air generator malfunctioned and everyone got high from the fumes and Mr. Carlson flashed you." He looks at her intensely. "The only occasions I have ever, and I mean ever, seen you blush is when Raven flirted with you."

 

"That is utterly preposterous, Jackson." Abby tells him, knowing full well this particular detail to be true.

 

"You and I both know that I am right." Jackson gives her a knowing smirk and heads for the doorway. She hates that he knows her so well. _Maybe it is time for a transfer..._ "I am happy for you, Abby."

 

"Thanks." For the first time he cornered her, Abby feels a little ashamed for lying to him.

 

"And when you mess it up, you will have my shoulder to cry on." Jackson quips and is out of her office before she can throw anything after him.

 

The feeling of guilt she felt for hiding the truth recedes as quickly as it came.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Abby tries to get a hold of Clarke for several days after her first date with Raven, but her daughter seems to be conspicuously absent.

 

Raven and she go out for lunch a few days later and after, Abby has a sense of foreboding that Raven's company is something she enjoys a little too much than is good for her.

 

Marcus Kane still lurks at every other corner, but Abby tries to ignore him as best as she can. He is less intrusive than before, but he seems to observe the whole situation with an excessive interest.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Dr. Griffin." Sinclair greets her shortly after she enters the workshop and strides to her from where he just talked with two of his crewmen.

 

"Haven’t seen you in here for a while." He reaches out to shake her hand. "But I am glad to see you now."

 

Abby meets his kind expression with a small smile of her own, shaking his hand. "I am just looking for Raven Reyes. Do you have any idea where I might find her?"

 

"Yes, yes of course. She is over there, working on the rover." He points to the far end of the workshop hall.

 

"Thanks." Abby nods at him, walking to where he has pointed.

 

The first thing she sees of Raven as she arrives are her boots, peeking out from beneath the hood. For a minute or two she just stands there, watching the boots move now and then and the younger woman sing in tune to the old song that is playing over the speakers of the small radio that stands on one of the tool trolleys.

 

"I didn't know you could sing." She says when the song has ended, sitting down on a small workbench in front of the vehicle. There is a distinct moment of silence where she can't hear the clinking of tools against metal.

 

"Abby?" Raven's surprised voice floats from beneath the rover and then the mechanic rolls out from under it and sits up to face her. "You should know by now I have many talents." She smirks and Abby chuckles, letting her eyes roam over her bare arms and shoulders up to her neck, where her skin is covered in a fine sheen of sweat and smudges of oil and other dark substances Abby can't identify.

 

"Don't get me wrong, I am glad that you are here," Raven says and reaches for a rag from her toolbox and wipes her hands. The muscles of her arms ripple beneath the movement and Abby's gaze is drawn irresistibly to it. "But what can I do for you?"

 

Taking a second too long to appreciate those features Raven catches her staring and raises a challenging brow.

 

Warmth rises unbidden to her face and Abby looks at her hands, praying to god it won't show on her face. Her tongue darts out, mouth suddenly dry. "I was wondering," she begins with an attempt at nonchalance but only manages to sound hopeful. She looks back up at Raven, who sits with her arms propped up against her knees, watching her with that look, like she knows something Abby doesn't--and somehow--it drives her crazy. "If you would like to join me tonight for dinner?"

 

"Are you asking me out on a date, Dr. Griffin?" Raven drawls, looking up at her from beneath her thick eyelashes and Abby feels an absolutely inappropriate low tug in her stomach at her tone.

 

"It seems that way, yes." She manages and now blushes furiously.

 

"Then I would like that very much." Raven says, and it sounds earnest and seductive at once and Abby begins to wonder how fake her attraction to Raven and this whole dating thing truly is.

 

"Should we say at nine pm in the mess?" She asks as she stands from the bench, looking at Raven.

 

"Yeah, I should be ready by then." Raven states, reaching for an offset wrench.

 

"Until then." Abby turns and walks towards the exit, but she hasn't gotten far, when Raven's voice rings out after her.

 

"I heard third dates are the most interesting, wouldn't you agree?” Her smirk transforms into something far too delighted to be anything but wicked.

 

“I..” It takes a moment, and Abby thinks about what she has heard about third dates and then--it hits her.

 

“You're insufferable.” She tells the young mechanic and walks off. The melodic sound of Raven's laughter follows her to the entrance. And despite her best efforts not to think about the... _implication_ , her face burns hotly all the way back to the med bay.

 

 

* * *

 

 

A knock against metal startles Abby and she rushes to the door of her quarters, not able to shake the thought that it might be Raven, but it is way too early for it to be the mechanic. A particular visit she wouldn't mind, she realizes as she activates the panel and the doors slide open.

 

"Hey Mom." Clarke greets her, sliding past her into the room.

 

"Hi, honey." Abby pulls her into a hug before her daughter can escape. "Haven't seen you around for a while."

 

"Yeah, I was out with Bellamy on a scouting mission." She tells her, moving out off the embrace to curl up onto Abby small couch. "Did I forget to tell you?"

 

"You did." Abby scolds, but sits next to her, reaching out to smooth down her daughters unruly hair. It is to no use.

 

"There is actually something I wanted to talk to you about." Abby fiddles with the hem of her shirt.

 

Clarke looks at her expectantly and Abby reaches for the glass of wine on her table, courtesy of Mount Weather, and takes a large sip. “Since you've been gone, some things have happened.”

 

For a short while Abby keeps silent until Clarke puts a hand on her knee, feeling the need to put her out of her misery. “I know it already, Mom.” Clarke chuckles. “Did you really think something like that wouldn't get to me?”

 

“Oh, honey.” Abby looks at her with wide eyes. "I didn't want for you to find out that way."

 

"I know, Mom. But all in all, I think it made sense." Clarke squeezes her knee in encouragement. "Although I would have loved to see Kane's face as he found out."

 

Abby looks at her disapprovingly. "That's pretty callous, don't you think?"

 

"Maybe..." Clarke relents as her eyes wander around the sparsely furnished room until she focuses back on Abby. "I don't care.. I would have _loved_ to see his face anyway."

 

Abby jabs her playfully into the side, but her face shows no more of the former disapproval. "He was... rather baffled to say at least." Abby admits, then quickly adds, "But that is all I am going to say on the matter, so don't you even try to grill me about it."

 

Clarke makes a disappointed face, but lets the topic go. Abby wonders how Clarke can deal with this entire thing way easier than she herself can. _Maybe it is because she enjoys Raven's company a little too much than she should? Or maybe because there are butterflies fluttering about in her stomach every time Raven smiles at her?_

 

When Clarke leaves two hours later, she is in no way closer to answering any of those questions, but talking to Clarke always makes everything seem a little brighter.

 

"I am leaving for Polis, tomorrow." Clarke tells her, leaning against the doorframe. "But I will be back in a few days or so."

 

"Be careful." It still astonishes her how Clarke went from her little girl to a grown woman in mere months on the ground. They have been through a lot since the drop-ship, and then the Ark itself, landed, but it only made Clarke stronger and more independent. Abby can't imagine her life without her daughter in it anymore. Will do anything that she won't have to.

 

"I always am." Clarke quips and pulls her into an embrace.

 

"If you were, I wouldn't feel the need to tell you." Abby replies with a dry chuckle, hugging her daughter back. When even after a moment Clarke still holds onto her, she is about to ask if something is wrong, but then Clarke already speaks. "I am very happy for you and Raven, Mom."

 

She pulls back and squints at Clarke, her head tilted in confusion. “What? Clarke, Raven and I are not..."

 

"Mom." Clarke interrupts her. "I knew it for a long time." Clarke raises her brows and gives her that look that makes Abby feel instantly chastised. "It's about time."

 

Clarke smiles up at her, kisses her cheek, and is walking down the corridor before Abby even can remember how to breathe.

 

There is no way around speaking to Clarke again, telling her that she had misunderstood the situation and she and Raven are _not_ a real couple, but Abby is too flabbergasted to call after her now. _How could Clarke actually believe this? And what did she mean when she said she knew it for a long time?_ She is at a complete loss as to how to react to the unexpected development of this whole non-existing relationship business.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Can I get you something else, Dr. Griffin?" The young man behind the bar asks, and she looks down at her glass on the counter, that has gone empty without her even noticing. She is way too early for her dinner with Raven but she just couldn't stand being alone in her quarters any longer after her conversation with Clarke and decided to wait for the dark-haired mechanic at the bar instead.

 

"I guess I will have another." She smiles at him and feels slightly troubled for not remembering his name.

 

"Coming right up." He tells her with a polite smile and pours another crimson colored drink into the glass. It is some kind of wild-berry moonshine and Abby can't say she doesn't enjoy its rich taste. "Thanks." She says as he slides it over, turning on the bar stool to face the mess, where someone actually plays on the piano tonight and it doesn't sound bad enough to leave for another spot.

 

At the far end of the room, the doors to the entrance slide open, and Marcus Kane steps into the hall, looking around as if searching for someone. Abby prays to god, that he doesn't see her, and turns back to face the bar.

 

A few minutes pass and she nurses her drink, thinks about Clarke and Raven and listens to the heavy tune floating into the evening air. She already thinks she's dodged the bullet, as Marcus turns up beside her and sits on one of the empty chairs. For a little while they sit in silence until he eventually turns to her. For once he avoids the topics of relationships and dating and they talk about medical supplies, the oncoming harvest and somehow it is easy and like before all this entire mess has started.

 

An hour or so later, Abby startles at a strong arm sliding around her midsection and she turns to see Raven standing very close beside her.

 

"Hey beautiful." Raven murmurs in a way of greeting and her brown eyes twinkle. Abby can't help the smile at the compliment and as Raven leans in, expects a chaste kiss like before, but Raven cups her cheek instead, hand warm and dry against her skin until her lips touch to Abby's. For the fraction of a moment, the world around her vanishes in a blur, and Abby closes her eyes. Hears nothing anymore of the piano tunes or the clinking of glasses, just the staccato beating of her own heart. A rush of adrenaline and excitement courses through her and she sighs into the kiss as she remembers that she is supposed to return it.

 

Raven pulls back when they hear someone hoot and whistle in the distance and Abby lets a long, shaky breath slip past her lips. For a heartbeat or two, she keeps her eyes closed until she opens them slowly, gaze fixing on Raven. "Hello to you too." She rasps and tries to get her breathing and the onslaught of emotion under control.

 

Raven winks at her, but her eyes are dark and knowing, and it sends an involuntary shiver down her spine.

 

Beside them, Marcus clears his throat. Abby's gaze snaps to him, terrified. _How could she have forgotten he was still there?_

 

"Ms. Reyes." He greets Raven reticently and gulps down the rest of his drink.

 

Raven nods at him, but Abby sees the indignant, critical gaze directed at him. He is the reason Raven and her started dating in the first place, but still, she feels somehow sorry for him now. The only crime he actually committed was taking an interest in her, wanting to get to know her better, right?

 

"Marcus and I just talked about establishing a constant supply trip to Mount Weather." Abby tells her, not knowing exactly why she feels the need to clear it up, why she needs Raven to know that she only talked with Marcus about business and nothing personal. Abby just wants her to know, _for whatever reason_ , but somehow it seems important.

 

"That sounds like a good plan to me." Raven says after a moment of silence. "But tonight I want you all to myself." It sounds salacious, and Abby is annoyed with herself, that her body reacts to a statement that is just voiced to rid her of Marcus Kane. Not because Raven wants it-- _wants her_. Not that it was ever in question.

 

"I really wanted to hash out the details tonight, Abby," Marcus tells her, putting his glass down onto the counter with a little too much force, avoiding to look at Raven, pointedly ignoring her even, and Abby starts to think he does it on purpose just to drive her nuts.

 

"I am sorry, Marcus." If she is certain of one thing by now it is that she is certainly not sorry anymore--for anything--but she can't tell him that, if they still want to work together. No, not tonight--she can't handle the drama, again. Abby blinks instead of rolling her eyes. "Raven and I had plans for tonight already." She tries to look sorry at least, but by the weird look Raven gives her it might not be working as well as she had hoped.

 

A few moments tick by while he stares, intense and a little like Norman Bates crazy, before he says, "Well, then I know where your priorities lie."

 

"It is not about my priorities, Marcus!" She really tries to keep her voice down, but she hears it rise until Raven squeezes her hand. "But I have a private life and you need to acknowledge that at least. I am not at your beck and call at all times."

 

Marcus looks sufficiently chastised and then stands rather abruptly, "Please excuse me." He hisses and strides off.

 

Abby scrubs a hand down her face as Raven slips onto the empty bar stool Marcus just vacated.

 

"He is persistent, I will give him that." Raven says and Abby tries to concentrate on it, but her heart still pounds a little too fast in her chest and her lips still tingle with the memory of a phantom kiss that shouldn't have affected her like this.

 

"Abby, are you alright?" Raven asks and reaches out. Her thumb strokes the back of Abby's hand, and she is struck by the reaction the simple contact evokes within her.

 

"Of course." She says and forces a smile to her lips. In this moment she realizes without a doubt, that despite her best efforts, she has fallen in love with her partner in crime. That there is no way of denying the truth any longer and that she can't go on like this if she wants to keep Raven as a friend. She also realizes that those thoughts and truths, are something she needs to think about further and most certainly not here, where the object of her desire...-- _Jesus, melodramatic much, Abigail?_ \--sits in front of her. "Sorry, I just thought about something."

 

Raven raises a brow but Abby swirls around the last of her drink, tips it into her mouth. "How about we grab something to eat now?"

 

If Raven doesn't buy into the distraction, her face shows none of it as the younger woman nods and stands from her stool, holding out a hand for Abby to take and after a brief moment of hesitation Abby takes it, her palm pressing against Raven's.

 

"I heard they even have some fresh-baked bread tonight." Raven tells her with excitement in her tone and a certain kind of serenity fills Abby, something she hasn't felt in years.

 

Raven's hand is still warm against her palm when they reach the serving counter, where the kitchen team is handing out meals.

 

 _This is something I could get used to,_ Abby thinks, while Raven's thumb plays back and forth over her skin.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Over the next few days, Abby notices an increase of patients floating in and out of the med bay than usual, most of them just there for check-ups, that oftentimes go neglected in the regular daily routine.

 

"I heard about you and Ms. Reyes, and I must say, Doctor, I am delighted." One woman says as Abby makes the routine check-up. "Thank you." She mumbles and steers the topic of the conversation to another matter.

 

"It was about time you started dating again, Doc." Another patient says and Abby closes her eyes. "Raven Reyes seems like a very fine woman."

 

Kyle Wick comes in on day, but the moment he meets Abby's eyes across the room, turns on his heel and is gone as fast as he came in. Abby can't help the smirk even as she tries to fight it down.

 

"Way to go Dr. Griffin," Jasper tells her with a smirk. "Didn't know you're a cougar, but I guess you can show Reyes some shit she doesn't even know exists!" Abby presses her fingers to her temple, as if to massage away an oncoming headache.

 

"To be completely honest," a woman around her age begins, and Abby braces herself internally for what is to come, "I myself would have loved to have a taste of that, if I'd known you swung that way." She eyes Abby rather suggestively. Abby clears her throat, then tries for a smile. "That's... flattering."

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Are you dismantling the station again?"

 

Raven looks up from where she just welds a faulty pipeline in the wall, pushing the welding goggles up into her hair.

 

"Hey Clarke!" She greets and puts the torch down onto the wire feeder, pulling her gloves off. "Just to be clear: I am _repairing_ the station, not dismantling it."

 

Clarke eyes the floor pointedly. A multitude of tools, various metal parts from the wall and other electronic devices, that Clarke can't identify, are scattered about. "If you say so," she says rather skeptical and it makes Raven smile.

 

"Hey look, I wanted to talk to you about something." Clarke examines the ground, avoiding her gaze. Raven already has a pretty good idea what the subject will be. The only thing she doesn't know is, if Abby has talked to Clarke about it yet or not.

 

"I talked to my mom last night." Clarke begins. _Well, that answers that._ "Look, Clarke, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, but Abby wanted to..."

 

Clarke waves a hand in a dismissive gesture. "I get it." She only now peeks up at Raven again. "I just wanted you to know that it's cool." She pulls a wry face, despite her words. "I mean it's gross-- _obviously_ \--because it is you and my mom, but apart from that it is cool."

 

Raven chuckles. "I hear you. And it is not something I had expected either." She says, and Clarke looks at her with a fond expression.

 

"Just look out for her." Clarke says, holding her gaze. "I don't want to see her get hurt."

 

"Neither do I." Raven vows, fiddling with the glove in her hand. "I will keep her utterly satisfied.

 

"I can't believe you just said that." Clarke groans, lightness returning to her tone and Raven releases a breath she wasn't aware she was holding.

 

"Carry on." The blonde orders and Raven gives her a mock salute that makes Clarke smile. "Yes, Ma'am."

 

"See you around, Raven." Clarke says, still smiling, as she leaves.

 

That did not go all that badly, Raven thinks as she pulls the welding goggles back over her eyes.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It is late, close to midnight even, and Abby doesn't know what she is doing, but knocks against the metal door before she looses her nerve. From inside the room she hears movement, something falling to the ground, then more noise and then a minute or two later the door slides open.

 

"Abby?" Raven asks, somewhat confused, but stands a little straighter, running a hand through her sleep-messed hair. She is clad only in a black tank-top and matching shorts and Abby tries to not let her gaze roam over the exposed skin, or the shirt that has ridden up at her taunt stomach. "Did something happen?"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait, but I needed to finish the story as a whole before I could post this chapter. The next and final will be up in two or three days, I just need to do some minor editing. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> (Any Feedback is -as always- very much appreciated!)


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

"No, no, everything is fine." Abby exhales a deep breath and tries to remember what she had laid out back in her quarters before coming here. "I'm sorry for waking you this late, I just wanted to tell you, that I think it's time to let that ruse go."

 

Raven furrows her brows and Abby can see that the younger woman is not entirely awake yet and as if on command Raven yawns and rubs at her eyes. "Wanna come in?"

 

"No, thank you." She wrings a hand through her hair. "I just think that our... dating has led to success, and I believe it's time to get back to normal." _Normal,_ Abby thinks derogatorily, _how is she going to go back to normal after this?_ But it is the only way--she had thought about all the alternatives long and hard--even though there hadn't been many. Raven is a young, very attractive and intelligent woman, she might enjoy driving Marcus up the wall, but that doesn't mean that she wants to be with her. Even though, there had been a few moments where Abby had wondered...

 

"Are you sure?" Raven asks and she seems pretty awake now and if Abby is not mistaken not entirely thrilled at the opportunity to have her life back.

 

"I am." Abby reassures her, not feeling truly convinced herself. Somehow she'd expected, even hoped for, a different reaction. Something closer to approval, something other than this forced acquiescence. The longer she stands there, the worse she feels, even though she believes she is doing the right thing. _It is the right thing, isn't it?_

 

"Alright." Raven's gaze meets hers once more, and for the first time Abby can see the fire return to her dark eyes. And she has absolutely no idea what to make of it. "Goodnight, Doc." The younger woman says with a dubious smile.

 

"Goodnight, Raven." She says and leaves before she does something rash. And while her departing footsteps echo in the empty corridor, Abby wonders if she just made a mistake she will come to regret.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Mom, what did you do?"

 

When she looks up, Clarke sits on one of the gurneys in med bay. "I can't even leave you alone for a few days until you go and do something stupid."

 

"Clarke." Abby says sharply, even if she knows Clarke isn't entirely wrong. It's not like she is not glad to see her daughter back in Arkadia safely, but she doesn't need anyone else talking to her about Raven now. Jackson had attempted it for the last couple of days and Abby is kind of sick of it already. She gets why he does it, because he is her friend and he cares about her, but she is just not ready to talk about it yet. Not even to Clarke. "I'm glad you're back I already wondered what had taken so long."

 

"It took a few more days than I had expected, but we got everything we need. But what happened with you and Raven?" Clarke questions once more, this time softer than before and Abby is almost at the brink of telling her, but then only just almost.

 

"I don't want to talk about it." She says instead, eyes darting away from Clarke's searching gaze and she continues to sort the medical supplies into the cupboard, as she had done before Clarke had suddenly appeared.

 

"Dinner tonight?" Clarke asks after a moment of silence and seems to change tactics. And Abby nods, grateful for the respite. "Yes. I would like that."

 

Clarke slips down from the gurney and Abby gives her a small smile. "See you later, honey."

 

"Bye, Mom" Clarke kisses her cheek. "I know you don't want to hear it, but I think it was a mistake. Have not seen you so happy since Dad died." Clarke steps away. "Pick you up at six. Be ready."

 

Abby nods and watches her daughter go, all the while pondering how Clarke always sees through her so easily, even if she herself cannot.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke and she go out for dinner that night, but she manages to dodge the bullet, again, though not for her daughter's lack of trying. She explains to Clarke that she is not yet ready to talk about it, but when the time comes, Clarke is going to be her number one to go to. Clarke, albeit reluctantly, accepts this at last and their dinner is quite enjoyable as she tells Abby about all her adventures in Polis, its very attractive Commander, what she bought and and saw on its markets.

 

When they both see Raven at the end of their shared dinner, Clarke tries to wave her friend over with a mischievous grin on her face, but Abby can stop her before Raven notices it. If she can't talk to Clarke about it yet, she certainly can't have Raven sitting next to her right now. She made the decision of breaking up with Raven for a reason, even though they didn't print out notes about the break up, informing the people of Arkadia of it, Abby just hopes, that if they're not seen together for a certain period of time, it will do the job. Marcus at least had left her alone since that one fateful encounter at the bar for good. He still talks to her, but his eyes tell of hurt and disdain. Well, that's at least how she interprets it. She is not about to ask and spark some sort of ill-advised encouragement...

 

The next few days go by rather uneventful, to her growing dismay. Somehow Abby had thought that with not seeing Raven on a constant basis, the feelings she'd developed would simmer down, but to her disappointment it doesn't seem to work in the way she has hoped. Although she pretends to be fine, Jackson gives her looks of deepest sympathy, looks she tries to ignore. Also a shoulder to cry on he was offered and Abby took the liberty to refuse it kindly. There is one thing though, she wonders about, albeit silently. Abby doesn't know if Raven is doing it on purpose, or if it is just her own imagination gone wild, but she can't shake the feeling that the young mechanic runs into her more than usual.

 

She encounters Raven in the corridors, the mess hall, outside or plainly - just anywhere Abby goes. The other woman stops to talk to her then for a few minutes and Abby can do nothing but indulge her. Raven hasn't done anything wrong, quite the opposite actually by helping her out with this messed up situation and Abby finds herself enjoying it, despite herself. At all times it is just a rather short intermezzo and she just can't tell if it is deliberate or not. _But then, what reason would Raven have to run into her?_ Abby chides herself for even entertaining such an absurd notion.

 

She has seen Raven with the Blake girl on more than one occasion and to her own distress, it doesn't sit too well with her. Even if she knows, she has no right whatsoever to feel that way. Raven deserves to be happy.

 

_She deserves everything._

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Octavia? Are you even listening to me?" Octavia's gaze flickers back to Raven and she nods, refocusing her gaze back on her friend as she breaks a piece off of her bread and pushes it into her mouth.

 

"Okay. So then I came up with this idea to build an air blast transformer for the power supply of the rover..." She takes a bite of her apple then glances at Octavia to see if she can follow her explanation but her friend's attention is again diverted to something behind Raven in the mess hall.

 

"Really, O?" Raven puts her apple down onto the plate. "If you don't want to hear about it, just tell me."

 

"No, no. I want to hear it." Octavia nods her head. "Sorry."

 

"Alright." Raven takes a sip of tea, before continuing. "So this transformer is supposed to increase the..." She realizes Octavia isn't listening anymore. "... speed to such an extent, so it will be able to fly now. We don't even need wheels anymore." She raises her eyebrows at her friend in disbelief.

 

"Oh that sounds.. interesting." Octavia replies absentmindedly, eyes flickering to Raven before they focus back somewhere farther down the hall.

 

"You are an asshole, Blake." Raven says, and this seems to catch the other woman's attention rather quickly.

 

"I am sorry, Raven! But it is just so weird..." She trails off.

 

"What is? Mechanical engineering? I even tried to explain it in plain, simple English this time."

 

"Nah..." Octavia shakes her head. "Not that."

 

"Then what?" She asks sullenly, feeling slightly affronted at the lack of interest in her current project.

 

"I am not sure, but it seems like Dr. Griffin is observing us the entire time we sat here and she kind of looks like she wants to cut me with her scalpel."

 

Raven breaks out laughing, "What?"

 

"Honestly, Raven." Octavia whispers, as if anyone could overhear them. "I am dead serious. Her eyes are just murderous."

 

Raven smirks. "Then let's go over and say hi."

 

"No way!" Octavia shakes her head vigorously. "Are you freaking insane?"

 

But Raven already stands, taking both trays of their finished meals and starts walking, leaving Octavia with no choice but to follow. Raven spots the doctor in the far corner of the mess and heads towards her.

 

"What are you doing?" She hears Octavia whisper furiously as she has catches up with Raven.

 

"Don't worry, I will shield you if she tries to take a lunge at you."

 

Octavia starts to mumble a reply, but cuts herself off quickly as they reach Abby's table.

 

"Hey there." Raven greets Abby, who is studying the remains of her lunch with a little too much interest to be believable. She gazes up. "Hello Raven." Then glances over. "Octavia."

 

"Hi, Dr. Griffin." Octavia gives her a hesitant wave. Raven notices that her friend keeps a considerable distance to the older woman's table and bites her lip to hide her grin.

 

"How are you?" Raven asks casually, turning to Abby.

 

"Oh, I am fine." Abby rushes to point out. "Not much of a run on medical today, so I actually got some work done." She pauses for a short while. "And you, still working on the rover?"

 

"Yeah, I think it might be until the end of the week till it is finally running again."

 

Octavia observes the interaction with careful interest.

 

"I hope it won't give you too much trouble." Abby says and smiles, but Raven's gaze drops to her fingers, that are shredding a napkin into pieces over her empty tray.

 

"Thanks. I hope so too." Raven turns to Octavia, who gives her a look, then back to Abby. "Well, we will be heading out then."

 

"Yeah, we really must." Octavia agrees a little to quickly. "Bye, Dr. Griffin." She calls and is already hurrying off.

 

Raven stands at Abby's table for a heartbeat longer, leaning down far enough to whisper in her ear. "Jealous much, Dr. Griffin?"

 

A flush creeps up Abby's neck and Raven grins at the revealing reaction. She places a quick kiss on her cheek for good measure before the other woman can come up with an obviously fabricated excuse for her staring. "See you soon." She breathes out against the other woman's cheek and walks quickly to the entrance.

 

As Raven reaches the doorway out of the mess, she can't resist the urge to turn back around to look over to Abby once more, who is busy to seem like she is not watching Raven leave.

 

Octavia clears her throat beside her and Raven tries to get the stupid grin off of her lips. "See, no sharp objects have been directed at you. She didn't even raise the blunt ones."

 

"Reyes..." Octavia drawls, shaking her head in mock disappointment. "You've been holding out on me. Spill now."

 

Raven does. With the exception of one little detail.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Abby!" Jackson's voice flutters over the consistent buzz of activity in the clinic and she looks up from her current patient, pausing mid-air, bandage in hand.

 

When her eyes meet Jackson's she also takes in his current patient and a sudden rush of fear grips her heart, hard and violent. A feeling she hasn't felt for anyone except for Jake and Clarke. "Can you take over here?" Abby calls to her colleague and he nods. She puts the bandage back down and rushes over, uttering a flimsy excuse to the man she just treated.

 

"How on Earth did this happen?" She inquires as soon she reaches the gurney where Raven sits with a bloodied face, smudged with dirt, and scorched clothes.

 

"There has been an accident in the workshop." Raven says, but Abby still eyes her questioningly.

 

"We were trying to add two upstream transformers to create a neutral reference point at the output of a transformer, because the upstream network has no distributed neutral cable. Think it must have gotten too much voltage."

 

Abby gazes at her uncomprehendingly.

 

"An electronic device blew up and then started burning." Raven says, a pained smile playing on her lips.

 

"Why didn't you say so?!" Abby retorts lightheartedly, relieved that despite her disastrous appearance, Raven hasn't lost her sense of humor nor any appendages. Leaning forward, she locates the small, but deep, cut just above the mechanics hairline, which is the culprit of the blood that still streams over her face. She moves a strand of dark hair to the side and feels Raven flinch. "Sorry." She murmurs, taking a closer look at the wound. "I am afraid it will need stitches.

 

"Really?" Raven asks, and Abby hears the dismay in her voice. "Can't you just staple it or something?"

 

Abby steps back to look at her. "Nope, unfortunately I can not. Come, lets get you in the other examination room, where we keep all the materials for it. The wound is still bleeding heavily."

 

She helps Raven down from the gurney, grabbing her arm tighter as she hears the other woman gasp out a pained wheeze as her feet come in contact with the ground. "Is there something else I should know about?"

 

"Nothing serious, just a bruise," Raven tells her, tagging along behind the doctor. "Did you inhale fumes?" Abby asks as they enter and it is not entirely lost to her that this is the exact room where everything had started. She helps Raven to sit on the bed and pulls up a stool on wheels next to her.

 

"Nope, not much at least." Raven says. "I just got hit by a part that flew off as the thing exploded."

 

"I will need to take a look at that." She remarks, eying Raven until she is sure that the other woman understands she won't get out of here until she does. "Alright..." Raven relents and turns her head so Abby can reach the injured area better.

 

With a wet piece of gauze, Abby dabs over Raven's face, cleaning the blood and dirt off of her face then gently irrigates the wound with saline and Raven hisses at the sharp pain.

 

"I am already done with the first part." Abby offers encouragingly, as she pulls back to face Raven, trying to ignore how their proximity already affects her. She is just any other patient, she tries to tell herself, but already knows how far it is from the truth. Raven is undoubtedly not any other... _anything._

 

She throws the used gauze into the trash and gets a few materials from the sideboard and draws a clear liquid out of a small glass bottle with a syringe. At Raven's questioning gaze, she explains. "Just a local anesthetic."

 

"Do I really need that? I wanted to go back to work after this."

 

"Yes, you do, and no, absolutely not." Abby warns her with as much doctoral authority as she can muster.

 

Raven just grumbles and Abby injects it close to the wound. "You'll go home and rest for a while. Tomorrow you can go back to work. "She gives Raven a stern look. "I mean it."

 

"Do I need to be alone or can I get visitors?" Raven asks lightly, and the question evokes a red-hot flash of jealousy to course through her and Abby tries to force the feeling back into the dark corner it came from.

 

"Of course, you can. " She forces out between clenched teeth. "But no work--or exhausting activities."

 

"Fine." Raven agrees and the jealous spark dies down enough for Abby to begin.

 

The wound needs three stitches and she is glad that she is the one to treat Raven, even though she knows that any other person of the medical staff could have done it and most likely just as well. But still, she can't shake the feeling of annoyance that Raven did go to Jackson first instead of her, even though she knows it shouldn't matter.

 

"Why didn't you come to me right away?" Abby asks, desperately in need to know the reason. She cuts the last thread and sits back so she can study Raven's face. Something she has missed, she realizes, truly missed over the last few days as they hadn't seen each other.

 

Raven avoids her gaze and she reaches out to cup her chin between her fingers, gently turning it to her. "I don't know? I mean after everything..." Raven pauses for an instant. "I simply thought, you would be more comfortable, if I went to Jackson instead."

 

"We're still friends, aren't we?" Abby questions, but at the look Raven gives her she wishes, she hadn't said it. She fears Raven will laugh in her face, then Abby is not fooling herself into believing that Raven has gone entirely oblivious to the thing evolving between them.

 

"Of course we are." Raven responds after a beat, but it's measured and thoughtful, and it seems to Abby as if she needs to put a lot of energy into regulating her tone to make it sound like that.

 

"Good." She says and lays her hand atop Raven's that rests on her knee and squeezes it gently. "Let's have a look at that bruise, shall we?"

 

Raven nods and reaches for the top button of her shirt and begins to undo it slowly. In that moment Abby realizes how grave a mistake she has made. All the while attempting not to watch Raven undress before her so obviously, but then she hasn't been given much of a choice. As Raven reaches the buttons over her bra and slips one free after the other, she gives Abby a dirty smirk that has sudden heat course through her. Abby wonders if it really had been such a wise decision to handle this matter personally.

 

When the garment is finally open and off, and Raven just sits in her bra and pants on the gurney, Abby meets her gaze. "I need you to stand."

 

With a nod, Raven slides down and onto her feet, taking an additional step that brings her nearer to Abby.

 

As her gaze eventually travels down her body, she clucks over the bruising, dark and angry, on Raven’s ribcage. "This looks pretty nasty."

 

"Yeah." Raven agrees, pulling a grimace when Abby pokes at it, trying to hide the tremble that courses through her fingers. "And I would love to say I feel nothing but it hurts like shit. Especially when someone pokes at it."

 

Abby shrugs apologetically. "As much as I hate to cause you pain, I need to check if there are any broken rips. And since the X-ray machine is not working at the moment, I'll have to do it like that." Before Raven can utter a reply, she reaches out again and palpates the injured area, prodding and probing until she is sure she hasn't missed a bone, meanwhile accompanied by Raven's hissing.

 

"All done." Abby says, managing a small smile as she stands from the stool. "No broken rips."

 

Raven releases a breath and Abby tries to ignore the rise and fall of her chest.

 

"It will need a lot of icing." Abby says, trailing her fingers absentmindedly over the patch of discolored flesh. The contact has goose bumps rise to the skin in spite of the pain and Abby's eyes flicker up to meet Raven's. "I can give you some pain meds." She forces out, her throat suddenly dry at the intensity she finds in Raven's eyes. Her fingers still linger against the warm skin and Raven reaches up, fingers curling around the lapels of the coat and pulls Abby in. Her heart begins to thump in her chest, like always when Raven is so close to her and Abby covers Raven's hand with her own, halting her.

 

"Please." She begs quietly, hearing only the blood rush in her ears.

 

"That's not what I want." Raven insists, her voice low and stern and Abby feels it resonate deep in her stomach. It must be the answer to the medication, Abby thinks. Looking straight at Raven who is not once taking her eyes off of her.

 

She is not about to ask what Raven wants, because that seems too close to the truth. A path too dangerous to pursue, but then Raven takes a step closer, bringing her within inches of the doctor.

 

The deliberate movement catches Abby's attention, but she doesn't move away, expecting Raven to abort whatever she is doing. The hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she is sure she feels a sharp stab of electricity rushing through her. Or it can have merely been panic.

 

"You know what I want." Raven tells her and Abby averts her eyes, before she tells Raven she can have whatever she wants from Abby.

 

"Ms. Reyes." Abby drawls humorously and fights down the panic that courses through her. She needs to meet this head on now, needs to know if Raven feels something akin to what she feels for the younger woman or if she is just messing with her. Needs to know it now, because the tension between them is something she can't stand any longer. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

 

The whisper of Raven’s breath dances across her face and were she to lean forward just a fraction, her lips would touch to Abby's.

 

"What if I were?" Raven questions, raising a brow. When her tongue pokes out to wet her lips, it grazes Abby’s bottom lip so softly that she stops breathing.

 

"I'd tell you to go for it already." Abby whispers and she wants to smile, but the intensity of her need and fear that Raven might still pull back now, prevents it from forming but then Raven's lips are on her already, fast and impulsive, and she stops thinking altogether. The kiss is hungry and eager, and Abby drowns in the ferocity of it, something she hasn't felt before, not even years back with Jake. Raven pushes her against the wall with a groan and slides a hand into her hair, pulling her in, biting down on her bottom lip and Abby gasps into her mouth. A tongue slides over the indents of teeth and Abby meets it with hers, driven by all the need she felt for all those weeks, licking into Raven's mouth. She loves the harsh quality to Raven breathing, and loves the little whimper she makes as their tongues meet even more. It is _perfect_ and so much more than she could ever have imagined. The fear, the anticipation and excitement unite as one and every touch of Raven's fingers against her skin transform it into something _real_ , something tangible and electric.

 

"Are you really sure you want this?" Abby can't stop but ask between kisses, as Raven pulls her once more flush against her body even though they can't fit a sheet of paper in between them.

 

"I wanted this since before we even started dating." Raven rasps against her lips and kisses soundly her again, and Abby sighs into the kiss, surrendering to the happiness that spreads through her like liquid wildfire. When Raven pulls back eventually, and really looks at her, lips red and slightly swollen, Abby has to violently resist the urge to pull her in for another kiss. "But if no one accompanies me to my quarter's right now, I am not sure if I will survive the night." She flutters her eyelashes and Abby is captivated how her chest rises and falls under her labored breathing.

 

"Hm." Abby hums as she raises her arms and grasps Raven's face carefully with both hands. "Well, we can't have that. It's probably best if you're accompanied by a doctor."

 

"Yeah, I guess it would." Raven nods as grins up at her and Abby is fairly certain she has waited long enough and leans down for another, long overdue, kiss.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is it! I hope you guys like the final chapter! And I want to point out how grateful I am for your comments. It really encouraged me and well, yes, made me happy to hear you enjoyed reading this story so far! :)


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